What is Debt Consolidation and how does it work?

What is Debt Consolidation?

Debt consolidation is the simple act of combining all of your existing debts into one new, easy to manage loan. By doing so, you cut down on the number of creditors you’re repaying, while also saving money by paying a much lower interest rate than you would have otherwise. Better still, the debt consolidation process leaves you with just a single monthly repayment to make, significantly cutting down on time spent on the paperwork - and busywork - often associated with juggling numerous debts and loans. It’s that simple!

How does it work?

Managing your debts isn’t easy. It’s often an unruly mess of different loans, all with varying interest rates, and an unending cycle of payment dates all being sent to different accounts. In fact, attempting to get control of your debts is enough to drive the average New Zealander crazy.

If that isn’t worrying enough, managing numerous debts makes the task of balancing your weekly, fortnightly and even monthly budget a nightmare, as you’re never completely sure when your next payment is due. Let alone if there’s more than one repayment due on the same day. What a mess!

The good news is, you don’t have to live like this. Ridding yourself of your financial burdens by consolidating your debts has never been easier.

In fact, it’s a process that you can complete in just 3 easy steps:

Gather together all of the documents, paperwork and relevant information you have on your current debts and loans. Such as NZ credit cards, vehicle financing or personal loans.

Calculate how much money you currently owe on all of your debts combined. While it can be difficult to face the facts, knowledge is power, so empower your financial self by working out just how much you owe.

You’re now ready to leave the burden of your debts behind and reap the benefits of debt consolidation and the many ways in which it can make your life easier. With just one loan to repay, and just a single monthly repayment to manage, you’re now free to get back to living your best financial life.

An example of debt consolidation in action

So now you know just what debt consolidation is, as well as how it works. That’s all well and good, but how does it work for you or your family out there in the real world? That’s a good question. In the following example, we’re looking at just how much a debt consolidation loan can help the average New Zealander just like you pay down their debts and live a stress-free financial life.

Name: James

Nationality: New Zealand

Age: 33

Occupation: Store owner

Scenario: Consider James. He’s a 33 year old store manager from Hastings, NZ. He’s married, with two kids, and earns what many would consider to be a decent income. Yet like most New Zealanders, he’s currently paying back a number of loans he’s accumulated over the years. $15,000 in loans, to be exact. These include a credit card, as well as a few personal loans spread across a number of different creditors, each one with a different interest rate and payment date. What a headache!

The Debts:

A credit card, currently maxed out at $7,500, charged at an annual interest rate of 17%.

A $1,000 loan for a holiday the family enjoyed last summer, charged at an annual interest rate of 13%.

How did consolidating debt help James with his finances?

Running the math on James’ debts, he currently pays - on average - 16% interest each and every year. But it doesn’t have to be this way. By consolidating his debts, James could quickly and easily roll all of these individual loans into one. This would save him the stress of having to remember - and plan ahead for - various due dates, give him extra time to pay it off, as well as save him money with a much lower interest rate.

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